Self-supporting fabric hair curler



Aug. 23, 1966 (5. DE MESTRAL SELFrSUPPORTING FABRIC HAIR CURLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 19 FIG. 3

Aug. 23, 1966 G. DE MESTRAL SELF-SUPPORTING FABRIC HAIR CURLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 19, 1963 m wm/s United States Patent 3,267,942 SELF-SUPPORTING FABRIC HAIR (IURLER George de Mestral, Commugny, Vaud, Switzerland Filed June 19, 1963, Ser. No. 289,118 Claims priority, application Switzerland, July 3, 1962, 7,995/62; July 12, 1962, 8,410/62 4 Claims. (Cl. 132-40) The present invention has for object a hair-curler the body of which is bristled with flexible strands designed for attachment to the hair, the flexible strands being mounted on a strip of fabric.

The hair-curler according to the invention is characterized by the fact that the said strip of fabric is stiffened in its texture and is rolled in the form of a cylinder to constitute itself the body of the hair-curler.

The accompanying drawing shows, diagrammatically and by way of example, two embodiments of the haircurler according to the invention, as well as an embodiment of an apparatus for the manufacture of a strip of fabric intended for the said hair-curler.

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the said hair-curler according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows this same hair-curler in longitudinal section.

FIG. 3 shows, on a large scale, one part of the body of the hair-curler.

FIG. 4 is a view on an enlarged scale and in axial section of the upper half of the hair-curler according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a view in perspective of an apparatus for the manufacture of the fabric intended for the said haircurler. 1

The said hair-curler includes a body 1 constituted by a piece of a strip of fabric rolled in the shape of a cylinder and the ends 2 of which are superposed and fixed one to the other, for example by gluing, hooking, or by stitches 3. The ends 2 of the strip of fabric could also be disposed end to end and joined by a zigzag stitch, or a piece of joining fabric glued against the inner wall of the body 1.

The said strip of fabric forming the body 1 is provided on its outer surface with a large number of flexible strands 4 for attachment to the hair. These flexible strands 4 are distributed in rows over the whole width of the strip of fabric. The strands 4 of the rows 5 disposed at the ends of the body of the hair-curler are provided at their free ends with bulges 6. The bulges 6 are intended to anchor the hair-curler against the roots of the hair, against the head, once a lock of hair has been wound about the hair-curler. The strands 4, disposed in the central portion of the hair-curler, are ordinary erect hairs, facilitating the winding of the lock of hair on the body 1 of the hair-curler. These strands 4, constituted by plain erect hairs, may be either of a lower height than that of the strands carrying the bulges 6, or of the same height as the latter.

In order that the body 1 of the hair-curler may preserve its cylindrical shape, the strip of fabric which forms the same is reinforced in its texture. In fact, certain warp threads 7 of the strip of fabric are of larger section than the other threads forming the foundation of the fabric in order to impart sufficient rigidity to the body 1.

In the example shown, the reinforcement threads 7 are single filament threads of synthetic material, for example nylon. These threads 7 constitute, when the strip of fabric has been rolled into the shape of a cylinder, reinforcement rings 8 on the body of the hair-curler. Preferably, at least one ring 8 is disposed at each end of the body 1. In the example shown in the drawing, an intermediate reinforcement ring 8 has been provided in the central portion of the body 1.

In order to hasten the drying of the hair once the haircurlers are in place on the head, holes 9 are provided in 3,257,342 Patented August 23, 1966 the fabric forming the body 1 in order to allow the moisture to escape through the central portion of the haircurler.

As a modification, these holes 9, instead of being cut out in the strip of fabric, could be produced during the weaving operation itself of the strip, by providing apertures, for example.

As a modification, and if it is considered necessary, a group of reinforcement rings 8 formed of warp threads 7 of large section could be distributed over the whole length of the body 1 of the hair-curler.

Such a hair-curler offers the advantage of not inconveniencing the person who wears it when it is put on for sleeping, for example, since its body preserves a high flexibility in spite of the reinforcement rings 8. Even after crushing the hair-curler, the same resumes its cylindrical shape under the action of the elasticity of the single filament threads 7 of large section.

As against certain hair-curlers the body of which bristles with flexible strands provided with books, the hair-curler described with reference to the drawing facilitates the unwinding of the lock of hair, without tearing out the same, since the strands 4, distributed in the central portion of the body 1, are simple erect hairs.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the second embodiment of the hair-curler shown is formed by a strip of fabric 11 rolled into the shape of a cylinder. This strip of fabric 11 is reinforced in its texture by a number of warp threads 12 of larger section than the other warp threads 13 and weft threads 14 constituting the foundation of the fabric. Preferably, these warp threads 12 of large section are single filament threads of synthetic material, for example nylon, forming reinforcement rings for the body of the hair-curler.

The strip of fabric 11 is formed as uncut-looped fabric, that is to say that it includes a group of additional warp threads, also of synthetic material, such as nylon, dis-tributed over the whole width of the strip and forming rows of loops 16 (see FIG. 5). These loops 16 are cut at their top, and bulges 17 of any shape are formed at the free end of each of the strands 18 resulting from the cutting of each loop 16.

The formation of these bulges 17 at the end of each strand 1 8 is carried out by subjecting the end of the loops 16 to a heating operation causing the fusion of this end of the loop, and thus its cutting and the formation of the ball-shaped bulges 17 through building-up of plastic material at the end of each strand 18.-

FIG. 5 shows exactly an apparatus which allows of subjecting a fabric 11 of the uncut-looped kind to the heating operation designed to transform each loop 16 into two strands with ball-shaped ends.

The said apparatus includes a cylinder 19 supported by journals 20 and on which the strip of fabric 11 is moved by any known driving means. Facing this cylinder 19 is disposed a gas burner 21, of incurved shape. The gas outlet nozzles 22 are disposed on the edge 23 of the burner, so that the sparks, once lit, forma ramp 24 of continuous and incurvated flames.

As the strip of fabric 11 advances in the direction of the ramp 24 of flames, the loops 16 melt at their upper end due to the rise of temperature, and each loop gives rise to two strands 18 with an end provided with a ball 17.

Due to the incurved shape imparted to the burner, and in particular to the flame ramp 24, the strands 18 disposed on the edges of the strip of fabric 11 have a greater height than that of the strands disposed in the central portion of the strip. Thus, the bulges, or balls 17 of the totality of the strands 18 disposed along a line transversely to the strip of fabric 11 are disposed along an incurved line 25 (see FIG. 4). This distribution along a line incurved from the swollen end 17 of the strands 18 along the body of the hair-curler permits the latter to conform more easily to the shape of the head. This has the advantage of allowing better attachment of the hair-curler in the roots of the hair While reducing the inconvenience which results from wearing haircurlers.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a small number of strands 18 along a section of the body of the hair-curler, since these figures are diagrams. Of course, in reality, the number of strands 1 8 provided with balls 17 at their ends could be much higher on a longitudinal section of the body of the hair-curler.

The operation of heating the ends of the loops 16, in order to melt these ends and form the balls 17 at the ends of the strands 18, could also be carried out by means of a heating body having an electrical resistance or by heating by induction. This heating body could then be constituted by a simple i-ncurved metallic Wire.

The method indicated above for the formation of free strands 18 with a ball-shaped end on a strip of fabric, using for this an uncut looped strip of fabric, is obviously applicable to other fields than the manufacture of hair-curlers. According to the field of use and if one desires strands 18 of equal length over the whole surface of the strip of fabric, it will sufiice to employ heating means of which the active part would be straight and parallel to a generating line of the cylinder 19.

The method described above, for the manufacture of a strip of fabric designed for the production of haircurlers, allows of production of hair-curlers at a minimum cost price greatly less than the cost price of known haireurlers of the same kind. Moreover, the new hairourler is of a much more agreeable wear and of more easy removal, since the strands with ball-shaped ends do not catch in the hair and eliminate all risk of tearing of the latter, a risk which is frequent with known haircurlers bristled with attachment strands.

As a modification, the loops 16, shown in FIG. 5, could be given their shape by heat treatment and then cut at their tops. Thus, each loop 16 would produce two strands curved in opposite directions and forming pincers.

I claim:

1. A hair curler comprising a self supporting cylindrical body of flexible fabric material including warp and weft threads, a plurality of hair engaging bristles projecting from the outer surface of said material, certain of said Warp threads being of larger cross section than the other warp and weft threads forming said body and providing reinforcing rings at least at each end of the body to impart additional rigidity thereto such that said body will return to its original cylindrical shape after being crushed.

2. A hair curler according to claim 1 wherein said Warp threads of larger cross section are formed of a synthetic monofilament material.

3. A hair curler according to claim 2 wherein at least some of said bristles are provided with enlarged bulbous outer end portions to facilitate attachment to the hair.

4. A hair curler according to claim 2 wherein the bristles are of gradually diminishing height from each of the ends of the body towards the center thereof to provide a concave hair engaging surface.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 216,839 6/ 1879 Essek 242-11832 2,758,354 8/ 1956 Decloux 26-2 2,820,277 1/ 8 Forster 262 3,050,070 8/ 1962 Sidelman 13239 3,123,079 3/1964 Buesgen 13240 3,123,080 3/ 1964 Brenn-Albertoni l32-40 3,138,841 6/1964 Naimer 2872 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,250,668 12/1960 France.

RICHARD GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT E. MORGAN, Examiner.

L. W. TRAPP, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A HAIR CURLER COMPRISING A SELF SUPPORTING CYLINDRICAL BODY OF FLEXIBLE FABRIC MATERIAL INCLUDING WRAP AND WEFT THREADS, A PLURALITY OF HAIR ENGAGING BRISTLES PROJECTING FROM THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID MATERIAL, CERTAIN OF SAID WARP THREADS BEING OF LARGER CROSS SECTION THAN THE OTHER WARP AND WEFT THREADS FORMING SAID BODY AND PROVIDING REINFORCING RINGS AT LEAST AT EACH END OF THE BODY TO IMPART ADDITIONAL RIGIDITY THERETO SUCH THAT SAID BODY WILL RETURN TO ITS ORIGINAL CYLINDRICAL SHAPE AFTER BEING CRUSHED. 